A little extra something in your check

I’m not sure when the practice started — probably in college, as that’s where many silly ideas brew — but my sister and I love writing nonsensical messages in the “memo” section of our checks.

“You don’t deserve my money” was on the most-recent check when she paid me for family Christmas gifts.

“Crazy, crazy critter” was on another.

Granted, I don’t write (or receive) many checks these days. Really, none of us do, thanks to online bill pay and money transfer sites like PayPal.

In 2011, the number of checks processed by the Federal Reserve dropped 17 percent, to an average 23.5 million a day. That was the steepest decline on record, and puts check-writing at a third of the volume processed 20 years ago. But checks aren’t extinct — yet — so we need to seize the opportunity to hijack the memo line for our entertainment.

Sure, writing things like “for my greedy sister” to me or “for another BS parking violation” to the city of Hoboken is a little ridiculous, but it’s more fun than leaving that line hanging, naked and cold.

Some people call this behavior immature, for sure. Some may even label it illegal, but it’s not.

“There are no rules that restrict what can be written on the memo line,” says John DeCelle, the chief marketing officer with the SEFCU credit union.

Guess I don’t have anything to stop Cindy from writing “hoebag” again.

Some of the more creative or humorous messages give tellers a chuckle, says Lori Gazzillo, assistant vice president ofcommunity relations with Berkshire Bank.

Times Union readers favored things like “thanks for last night,” “breast implants” and “for … you know …”

Even those are OK, according to banking experts, and banks won’t deny a check even if the memo line is blush-worthy.

That memo is usually between the check-writer and the recipient, says Gazzillo.

“More often than not, the memos are not viewed, however, since checks today are inserted into high-speed sorters,” she says. So use that line to work on your one-liners but know you won’t be getting a humor book deal out of your antics anytime soon.

It will entertain your friends, yourself and maybe the bank teller. And who doesn’t appreciate a laugh — especially when handing over money?

One Response

One of my closest friends works at a bank. She was kind enough to pay for our lunch last week when I forgot to bring cash to a cash-only establishment. Since she was stopping to her job afterward, I wrote her a check rather than have an IOU hanging over my head (I can’t stand owing friends money).

You’d better believe the memo line said, “late night services.” What fun is a $16 check if the memo line is left blank?!?